A forwarder sends every message that arrives at an address to another inbox. Use it for an alias (info@ to a real mailbox), a team copy, or a backup of a shared-hosting address.
This article is for addresses on shared hosting (cPanel). If you have LochStudios Mail (hosted business email), send copies with a rule in WebMail instead. See Create Filters and Rules in Axigen Webmail.
Need a mailbox on this hosting account first? Create an email account. You can also add a forwarder with no mailbox if the address should only exist as an alias.
Open cPanel from the portal. Do not guess a hostname.
Open Forwarders
- Sign in at the portal.
- Open the hosting service for the domain.
- Click Log in to cPanel.
- In the Email section, open Forwarders.
The page lists Email Account Forwarders (one address) and Domain Forwarders (every address on a domain).
Add an account forwarder
- Click Add Forwarder.
- Address to Forward: the part before
@(for exampleinfoforinfo@yourdomain.com). - Domain: choose the domain, addon domain, alias, or subdomain for this address.
- Under Destination, choose Forward to Email Address and type the full destination (for example another mailbox on this account, or an address you already read).
- Click Add Forwarder.
The new row appears in the Email Account Forwarders list. New mail is forwarded from this point on.
Leave Pipe to a Program and the other advanced destinations alone unless we have asked you to use them. If you need a custom handler, open a support ticket.
More than one destination
cPanel takes one destination per forwarder. To copy the same address to several people, click Add Forwarder again with the same source address and a different destination.
Local copy or alias only
- Mailbox plus forwarder: create the mailbox first, then add the forwarder. Mail stays in that inbox (Webmail or a mail app) and a copy is sent on.
- Forwarder only: the address is an alias. There is no local inbox to open.
If you only need some messages copied, use a filter with Redirect to Email, not a forwarder.
Domain forwarders
A domain forwarder rewrites every address on one domain to the same local part on another domain (sales@old.example becomes sales@new.example).
- On the Forwarders page, click Add Domain Forwarder.
- Choose the domain to forward from.
- Enter the domain to forward to.
- Confirm.
Use this when you have retired a name and the new domain already receives mail. For one or two addresses, add account forwarders instead.
Default address (catch-all)
Email → Default Address can accept mail for any something@yourdomain.com that does not have a mailbox or forwarder, and send it to one inbox.
A catch-all collects a lot of junk aimed at guessed names. Prefer named mailboxes and forwarders. If you still need a default address and cannot see the option, open a support ticket.
Forwarder, filter, or autoresponder?
| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
| Forwarder | Sends all mail for an address to another inbox |
| Filter | Files, copies, or discards only the messages that match a rule |
| Autoresponder | Sends a reply. Mail still arrives in the inbox |
Filters: Create email filters. Auto-replies: Set up an autoresponder.
Manage existing forwarders
Still on the Forwarders page:
- The list shows each source and where it goes.
- There is no edit. Delete the old row, then Add Forwarder again with the same source and the new destination.
- Delete stops that path immediately. Other forwarders on the same source stay in place.
Tips
- Mail has to arrive at this hosting account. If MX for the domain points somewhere else, the forwarder never sees the message. See MX records and how email routing works.
- Do not forward an address to itself, and do not set A to B and B back to A. That loop stops delivery.
- Forwarded mail keeps the original From address. The destination inbox may put it in Junk. Check Junk there, then why your emails go to spam.
- Shared hosting allows 1000 emails per hour from the account. A busy address forwarded to several people still counts against that. Open a support ticket if you need a different setup.
- Test from a second address. Confirm the copy arrived, and (if you created a mailbox) that the original is in Webmail (Roundcube).
If mail is not forwarded
- Nothing arrives: check the source spelling, the domain on the forwarder, and the destination spelling.
- You expected a local copy: there is no mailbox for that address. Create an email account with the same local part and domain, or open the destination inbox instead.
- The same message twice: you have both a mailbox and a forwarder (that is normal), or a forwarder plus a filter that also redirects. Remove the extra path if you only want one copy.
- Destination Junk: look in Junk at the destination before assuming the forwarder failed.
- Unsure which product or DNS the domain uses: open a support ticket and we will check with you.